Ravens LB Ray Lewis out until at least the playoffs

Ravens coach John Harbaugh declared that Lewis, who remains on the injured reserve-designated to return list with a surgically repaired torn right triceps, won't get back on the field for the regular-season finale next week against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"We will not look at him again for this week," Harbaugh said. "We'll look at him for the playoffs. It's a 12 to 16-week injury. So if you do the math going back, we thought there was a chance. He's progressing really well.

"I'm not saying he couldn't have played the past couple of weeks, but it would've been risky to re-injure it. The fact that there was some patience on Ray's part and our part, it turned out well."

The two-time former NFL Defensive Player of the Year tore his triceps in a win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Lewis has been sidelined for the past nine games and has been champing at the bit to get back on the field.

Lewis has been practicing and hasn't experiencing any setbacks, but is dealing with atrophy to his right triceps muscle.

"It's hard, he wants to play," Harbaugh said. "Nobody wants to play more than Ray, but Ray sees it for what it is and he sees the big picture."

When asked if Lewis could potentially return in time for the Ravens' opening-round playoff game, Harbaugh replied: "There's always a chance. We can't say right now for sure."